Whether you’re staying right on the lakeshore or a bit further away, there’s a bunch fun activities for kids to chose from.
Here are just a few of our favourites.
1. Getting out on the water!
When there’s a lake nearby you’ve just got to jump right in.
At the house, it’s on your doorstep – swimming, canoeing, paddle boarding or a spot of fishing. Whatever takes their fancy.
If you’re staying a bit further away and they want to go for a swim you can get down to the lake via the public access or for boat hire just get in touch with Mike O’Shea, the local fishery manager (+353872213835 or uppercaraghmanager@msn.com), and make a day of it.
2. Adventure days at Cappanalea
Cappanalea, an outdoor education centre 10 minutes drive from the house, is one of our firm favourites.
They offer great week-long residential and one-day adventure courses for kids of different ages and abilities. Canoeing, sailing, raft-building, rock-climbing… you name it!
The instructors are professional and friendly, and children love it.
If you fancy a day to yourselves and have your kids come back beaming, book them in.
3. Geocaching on and around the lake
Whether you’re looking to go hiking or want to explore the area by car, geocaching is a great way to make it fun for kids.
Just have a look at this short video to see why.
There are plenty of caches hidden around the lake, often in the most stunning spots, and there’s even a few on the lakeshore, only accessible by boat.
4. Foraging through forest and fields
Whatever the season there’s some fun foraging to be had on and around the lake.
From picking blackberries in autumn to making dandelion flower fritters in spring – it’s a great way to reconnect children with nature.
If you haven’t done it before and are a bit nervous, here’s a great introductory post by the folks at a Wilder Child.
You can also gen up before you travel with this classic foraging book by Richard Mabey.
5. Spotting the local wildlife
Spotting birds, bugs and brambles can be great fun for kids.
Just print out these super handy activity sheets, think up a prize for the most spots and off they go. 🙂
If you’re staying at the house, you can also just grab our copy of The Spotting and Jotting Guide by Matt Sewell. A great little book – lovely sketches, kid friendly info and a fun way for them to keep track of the birds they’ve spotted. For those rainier days there’s also Bird Bingo – a beautifully illustrated board game.
For more fun activities for kids, stay tuned. In our next post we’ll focus on the seaside. Enjoy!
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